Fresh Tomato Pasta With Lemon Basil Food

FRESH TOMATO PASTA WITH BASIL

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh basil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix gently and set aside to marinate.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a fast boil and add spaghetti; cook until al dente according to package directions, about 7 to 8 minutes.
• Drain pasta and immediately toss with the tomato mixture.
• Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

SPAGHETTI WITH FRESH TOMATO AND BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Blanch the tomatoes and remove the skins. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut the tomatoes crosswise. Set aside in a bowl.
• Heat 3 ounces olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until it smokes slightly. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Since the tomatoes will reduce and the salt will be concentrated, it is better to season initially with a lighter hand.
• Chop the tomatoes with a potato masher until they are in fine chunks and all their liquid is released. Be sure they are chopped and crushed fine, for a semichunky sauce. Simmer for 25 minutes over medium heat.
• While the sauce simmers, heat the water for the pasta. Cook the spaghetti in salted water about half of the way cooked. Drain, reserving some of the water.
• Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Add the pasta to the sauce and cook over medium-high heat until all the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is al dente. If the sauce is over-reduced, use the pasta cooking liquid to adjust it.
• At the last moment, remove the pan from the heat; add the extra-virgin olive oil, butter, basil and cheese. Mix thoroughly until the pasta is an orangy color. Taste again and adjust the salt if necessary. Remove to a platter. Serve.

FRESH TOMATO PASTA WITH LEMON & BASIL

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions, leaving al dente (slightly firm, not mushy).
• While pasta is cooking, finely dice shallot, mince garlic, and dice tomatoes. Add to a large bowl.
• Roughly chop or chiffonade basil. Set aside.
• When pasta is done cooking, drain, and immediately add to bowl. Stir.
• Add lemon juice, olive oil, basil, and capers if using. (Start with 1 lemon and add more to taste if necessary.)
• Toss well to combine, and salt to taste.
• Great served warm, cold, or room temperature. Best if eaten within 2-3 days.

ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH LEMON, GARLIC AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in several quarts of salted water (keep an eye on it - angel hair cooks a lot faster than other pasta and you don't want it mushy). Place it in a large serving bowl, add the basil and Parmesan cheese and toss to mix.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet and saute the garlic for a minute or so until it *just* begins to change color. Add the wine and cook until it has been reduced by about half (2-4 minutes). Stir in the lemon juice and tomatoes and remove the sauce from heat until the pasta is ready.
• Pour lemon-tomato sauce over pasta mixture, add salt and pepper to taste and toss to mix. Serve with extra Parmesan on the side, if desired.

LIGHT LEMON BASIL PASTA

Steps:

• First, finely chop about half a large onion and mince or press about four large cloves of garlic (organic, of course).
• Second, take about a handful of organic basil (I hate to admit I don't wash this because it is harder to mince) and then finely chop the basil.
• Third, shred about half to three-quarters cup of parmesan reggiano.
• Fourth, start a pot of boiling salted water.
• Open two cans of chicken broth (I like Ralphs because it is less sodium than Stater Bros.).
• Place about one large heaping tablespoon of cornstarch in a short water glass or coffee cup.
• Saute onion only over medium heat in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add about three or four shakes of ground white pepper (maybe a bit more if you like it spicy). After about two minutes of saute process, add garlic and continue to stir and heat for another one minute. This brings out flavor of garlic. Then add about 3/4 cup of white wine and raise heat to "high" to deglaze the pan. Boil to reduce the liquid until it is nearly gone.
• Add one can of chicken stock, keeping heat at high. Stir the pan to make sure that all accumulated flavor on side of pan is combined with liquid. Boil this down by about half. Then add most of the second can and boil down again by about 1/3.
• While the sauce is finishing, add pasta to boiling water.
• Using the balance of the unused can of chicken stock, slowly pour into the glass of cornstarch stirring to blend the powder into a paste and then add more stock to make it a thick cornstarch liquid. Add this liquid slowly to the sauce, stirring in to incorporate about 15 seconds after pouring. Continue to heat on medium heat until sauce has thickened slightly (won't be much thicker than a heavy liquid) - this won't take much more than 45 seconds. Turn off heat. Add juice from about 1 lemon, more or less if desired. Stir to blend lemon. Set aside.
• Drain pasta. Place in bowls. Add basil to each bowl of dry pasta. Mix. Add a bit of sauce. Mix. Then add a bit of cheese. Mix. Add more sauce and cheese and fresh ground black pepper on top.

TOMATO BASIL PASTA

Steps:

• Stir tomatoes, onion, olive oil, garlic, and basil together in a bowl.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook fusilli in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but firm to the bite, 12 minutes. Drain.
• Toss warm pasta with feta cheese and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Stir tomato mixture into pasta and season with salt and pepper.